Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shines on screen, but struggles loom behind the scenes

The highly anticipated animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been making waves at the box office, captivating audiences with its stunning animation.

However, behind the scenes, trouble seems to be brewing as animators involved in the project have come forward to share their experiences. Producer Amy Pascal has also chimed in to address the working conditions that have been brought into question.

One of the standout aspects of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, much like its predecessor, is its remarkable and innovative animation. The movie seamlessly combines multiple animated universes, each with its own distinct artistic style. Characters in the film faithfully represent the unique animation styles of their respective universes, resulting in a visually captivating experience.

Daniel Kaluuya’s portrayal of Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown stands out as a prime example, with his figure constantly shifting to accentuate his collage-style image.

But, achieving this level of animation excellence came with its fair share of challenges. Several animators involved in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse have recently come forward, shedding light on the demanding production process.

In an interview with Vulture. four animators disclosed that the intensive workload led approximately 100 employees to leave the project. They also described the difficulties arising from the revisions overseen by Phil Lord, which added to the already complex nature of the film.

Pascal, in response to these claims, stated, “One of the things about animation that makes it such a wonderful thing to work on is that you get to keep going until the story is right. If the story isn’t right, you have to keep going until it is.” Her comments seemingly suggest that those struggling with the film’s demanding requirements simply needed to adapt to the challenges inherent in movie-making.

Contrary to Pascal’s response, one animator who chose to remain anonymous shared a different perspective. This experienced industry professional referred to Lord’s process as “another level of crazy.” In discussing the conclusion of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s production, the animator revealed, “Animation is finishing Friday. Completely. No animator is going to put a key down anymore. And Phil is still rewriting stuff.”

The impact of these challenges extends beyond Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse alone.

Considering the announcement of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s release date, another anonymous animator expressed doubt, stating, “There’s no way that movie’s coming out then.” The animator explained that while progress had been made on the pre-production side, the production itself had lagged behind.

The animator added, “the only progress that’s been made on the third one is any exploration or tests that were done before the movie was split into two parts.”

If the claims made by this animator hold true, it appears highly unlikely that Beyond the Spider-Verse will meet its original release date.

Although Sony has yet to make an official announcement regarding a delay, the fact that the film is still in pre-production suggests that it may not be completed in time for its scheduled release next March.

Despite Pascal’s intentions to keep the animators working long hours, it seems increasingly uncertain whether Beyond the Spider-Verse will make its intended release date – and it might not even hit theaters next year.